Ryan Coogler in Conversation with Elvis Mitchell at The Elvis Mitchell Suite, Sundance Film Festival 2026, Park City, Utah – 24 January 2026 (Shutterstock for The Elvis Mitchell Suite presented by Rabbit Hole Distillery)
Ryan Coogler has spoken, in his modest way, about the record-breaking Oscars nominations for Sinners.
He told cultural commentator Elvis Mitchell at The Elvis Mitchell Suite during the Sundance Film Festival that earning so many nominations is “really nice.”
“It’s a profoundly strange movie. I feel my craft people and cast did their finest work on Sinners,” he said. “We’re like a theatre troupe at this point. We keep working together. My stunt coordinator has been with us since the first [Black] Panther. I’m happy for them – I could care less for me. To see my crew get recognized with so many nominations by the Academy, I’m over the moon.”
“I’m more conscious of finding new ways to challenge myself,” he added. “I’m trying to get better, more efficient, get cleaner – and at the same time be more ambitious.”
Coogler discussed what it was like to film Sinners during the heat in Louisiana, saying the location was “115 degrees.”
“This movie is about sharecroppers. There weren’t no fans back then; there weren’t no cooling tents. We had to keep that reality in mind while filming,” he said. “It was hot. You feel it, you see it onscreen – in the reflectiveness of wet skin, or how slow the actors move. The actors are wearing three piece wool suits in vintage cars – it was hard on them. They had to go to a Zen place.”
He also reflected on the Sundance Film Festival’s place in his career, reminding the audience that he brought his first feature, 2013’s Fruitvale Station, to Sundance.
“I have a lot of memories here,” he said. “…I met Robert Redford – may he rest in peace. We were at an event last night that honored his legacy. His gift lives on.”
Sinners has been nominated for 16 nominations, the most for any film in Oscars history.
